tractorsfandomcom-20200215-history
Priestman
Priestman initially founded in Hull in 1876. The Company was founded by William Dent Priestman (1847-1936) who was a strict Quaker and who worked with his father, at Holdernes Foundry in Hull, and later with his brother together they founded the new Priestman Brothers Limited. COMPANY HISTORY The brothers started work in 1870 in a small works, The Holderness Foundry bought by their father Samuel Priestman, who was also a director of the North East Railway Company. From initial jobbing engineering, the first very unusual product was for a complete paddle steamer for Peru in South America. A British engineer working for the Government of Peru wrote to William Dent Priestman asking for a price to build it. The low quote was accepted !!! However it was too big for their yard in Williamson Street at Hull, and they hired land opposite to lay the keel. They built EVERYTHING the hull, steam engine, controls, paddle wheels, accommodation and crew quarters. This unusual product was followed by a request to build a grab crane to search for gold bullion in Vigo Harbour, Western Spain. Thomas Christie (son of the famous hat manufacturers in London) formed a consortium to search for bullion sunk in a sea battle off Vigo Harbour two centuries previously. Nothing was found after 9 months of digging around. Not surprising as the grab design was totally unsuitable for this job. It did however, lead "Wm. Dent" ( the name by which he was known) to build a new, excellent Grab Dredging Crane patented in 1878 and sold to the Hull Dock Company, a photograph of which survives. It was also immediately mounted on a rail waggon or 'bogie' needed for a press launch in their yard in Hull, and then taken to the World Exhibition in Sydney, Australia in 1879 - a story covered in detail in his diary (existing in the collection) about this voyage. ***This is an outline of the full story of the founders' and firm's history which I have in Hull, having worked for PRIESTMAN BROTHERS LTD. for 30 years. The twin use of the grab crane for land excavation, and water-bourne use for dock and harbour dredging, formed the basis for the company's whole future development in excavators, grabs and cranes. The full account of all future company activities is now recorded by the original author in the Hull Streetlife Museum. By the 1880s William Priestman had developed an interest in the developing technology of the internal combustion engine. William Priestman developed an engine that had a pressurised the fuel tank using an air pump. The outlet from the tank leading to a fuel atomizer which continuously injected warm fuel into a vaporizing chamber heated by exhaust gases, with lamp oil being used as the fuel. He spent 18 months trying to determine the design of the sprayer nozzles - he built at least five versions in existence - as the angle at which the fuel and air streams met, was to prove crucial to efficient operation. He patented his first, fully operational, continuously running engine in 1885 and filed many subsequent patents of improvements. It is fully recognised in authoritative engineering history that the Priestman Heavy Oil engine preceded both the Ackroyd-Stuart's engine, and Dr. Rudolph Diesel's engine in Germany, by many years. (Richard Hornsby & Sons another local company in Lincolnshire was also building similar engines to the patents of Herbert Akroyd-Stuart) Science museum Photos Short history with photo of William Priestman. These range of grabs soon ran into hundreds of types and sizes, from sugar cane handling in Jamaica to iron ore discharging in Soth Wales, with such success that they were soon in demand all over the world. The costs of design work and building the thousand or so oil engines in the 1880s absorbed so much of the firm's money that they went into what was termed 'Liquidation' in 1895. This was not the term as used today and became a 'Board of Management' to run the company, with the brothers William Dent Priestman and brother Samuel Priestman as managers, as they were in fact the only people who knew how the company worked! Restructuring followed, as they were back in profit by 1898 and Priestman began to shine brightly once more. By the First World War, its cranes were being used to rebuild French villages, and dredge canals . The introduction of the "1921 Field Ditcher" was another milestone in the firm's history and led to the huge range of products that were introduced in the 1930's onwards. Face shovels, dragline excavators and backactor ditching machines as well as power grabs became the mainstay of the expanding Priestman company. In 1928, Priestman produced the first of their "animal-named" excavators. Such names as the Lion, Tiger and Panther would later become synonymous with Priestman. Early machines were very crude with the driver sitting next to the noisy mechanicals but still sold in healthy numbers. The machines can be configured as Draglines, Face Shovel, Backhoed, Skimmer and Cranes, by changing the Jib / Boom and ancillary equipment. Work started on their new Marfleet works 1950, would eventually cover 63 acres in Hull, and by 1963, when the firm embraced hydraulic power, it had long been a household name. In the 1970s they developed a range of hydraulic excavators. The VC range of dredging machine with long reach booms to replace draglines. his had an innovative sliding counter weight to balance the boom at long reach. These were popular with small sand and gravel pits and with the drainage board and water companies in Lincolnshire for cleaning dykes. They also built special versions on tall pedestals for dock side un-loading duties. In 1972 the Steels Group - Priestman then parent company was taken over by the expanding Acrow Group. Steels Group also owned the Coles Cranes company and the Neal & Taylor crane companies.Graces guide - Acrow article The Priestman division was sold off in 1984 to the nearby firm of Sanderson of Skegness in Lincolnshire. The Excavators complimenting their lineup of sitedumpers, mixers & site batch plants and forklift trucks. The remaining Acrow Group collapsed in 1985 when the company went into administration and the Crane division, by now slimmed down to one production plant in Sunderland, was picked up by the American crane builder Grove. Even as recently as the late 1980's Priestman produced special "to order" excavators and plant machinery for the Home Office to meet MOD specification, with the Lion range of excavators and cranes produced even then 20 years after mainstream sales had been discontinued. The Sanderson Group then got into trouble in the early 1990s, due to the recession and cheap foreign imports from Japan and the far east of Hydraulic excavators. The Priestman operation were then sold to another local company RB Cranes, from Lincoln. RB sold the VC line of long reach machines for a short period, as they complimented their dragline product lines for dredging operations. RB Cranes following the break-up/restructuring of the Ruston-Bucyrus group were then taken over by NEI Group and merged with the crane building firm Coles of Sunderland operation and, began building offshore cranes for then booming North Sea oil rig platform market. Following the Sanderson Forklift era the part of the company was bought in a management buyout by Tim Dillon, the former manager and continued to provide Spares back up and support for machines built from 1900 onwards until the companies demise in the 1990's. The resurrected company produced access platforms mounted mostly on LDV van chassis for local Kingston Communications telephone vans amongst others through the 1990's. The replacement parts business became unsustainable after the last Priestman employee retired in 2007. All the drawings and specifications exist. These are all in storage slowly deteriorating with age. Today, what is left of the firm trades in Bradford under new owner, Gardner Denver, the American based compressor and blower manufacturer. No longer are cranes or excavators manufactured. The Priestman Grabs & VC Excavators operations along with RB Cranes were sold in October 2009 to Delden CSE Ltd, who continue to offer a full range of spares and new grab manufacture from their premises in Selston, Nottinghamshire. Today the former Priestman factory site on Hedon Road, Hull, exists as a diverse industrial estate with numerous business using the former excavator manufacturers old premises and site. ADD - from W.D. Bromwich of Hull,2013,I worked for Priestman for 30 years and hold both the company archive and considerable personal memories of the activities of the firm, family and emloyees, I have tried to clarify the early part of the above text, as it missed many crucial elements. For anyone interested in further accurate background and brochures, photographs DVDs etc please use e-mail contact: suebrom@yahoo.co.uk - if I can help I will. Model Range ;Crawler cranes & Universal excavators *Priestman Cub **Priestman Hydro-Cub - early part hydraulic machine ***Priestman Beaver Mk I 1965 (Hydraulic version of Cub) * Priestman Lion * Priestman Panther * Priestman Tiger * Priestman Bison * Priestman Caribou * Priestman Otter * Priestman Sealion (pedestal mounted harbour cranes) *Priestman Wolf series ** Wolf Mk.I ** Wolf Mk.II ** Wolf Mk.III ;Crawler cranes *Priestman LC 51 *Priestman Bison BC 80 *Priestman MC 250 *Priestman MC 300 *Priestman MC 350 **Priestman MC 350 Lion **Priestman MC 350 HD *Priestman MC 400 *Priestman Lion 40H *Priestman Lion 50H *Priestman Lion 85H ;Hydraulic excavators * Priestman Mustang Mini (A Priestman badged Takeuchi model) 3 machines in range. *Priestman Mustang range ** [Mustang 90] Wheeled excavator ** Priestman Mustang 120 Perkins 6.354 / Ford 365 engine option ** Priestman Mustang 150 (wheeled version of 120) ** Priestman Mustang Swing Shovel - A 120 with 1¼ Cu yd front shovel gear ** Priestman Mustang 160 16 ton servo control with Ford engine. ** Priestman Mustang 220 22 ton servo control with Perkins V8 / G.M.engine option. ** Priestman Mustang 320 - 30+ ton m/c Perkins V8 engine ? (rumoured to be only 4 built) ** [Mustang 108] S Ford 365 6-cyl ** Priestman Mustang 168 Ford 380 6-cyl turbo. ** Priestman Mustang 2-12 (Sanderson) Ford 4 cyl. ** Priestman Mustang 2-11 Wheeled version of 2-12 (Sanderson) ** Priestman Mustang 2-15 (Sanderson) Perkins 6.354 ** Priestman Mustang 2-18 (Sanderson) Perkins 6.354 *Priestman VC excavators ** Priestman VC 15 - built from 1982-84 s/n 4100-4185 (85 built by Priestman) ** Priestman VC 15 (Sanderson till 1989) ** Priestman VC 20-15 (Sanderson till 1989 then RB International) ** Priestman VC-20 (Sanderson till 1989 then RB International) ** Priestman VC-30 proto type (Sanderson) ;Industrial cranes A range of Cranes for fixed industrial dockside and Oil Rig pedestal mounting were built from the 1970s onward. Long life A testament to the longevity and quality of Priestman Brothers machines is the dredger which was in use for over 100 years on the River Ouse at York till the late 1980's. Priestman were still producing spare parts for this machine to keep it running, when in reality the sales staff should have been selling a new machine - had they done so Priestman's may still have existed today, but the truth is the product they made was just too good and lasted too long. Their competitors undercut them and sold similar machines, some of them allegedly blatant copies, at a lower prices. Preserved Machines List A large number of machine still survive today. Some are still used in commercial work, mainly in 'occasional use' roles such as dredging ponds and canals. Several dockyards and harbours still use many Priestman cranes found at work. A increasing number are being restored by enthusiasts and used for demonstrations and 'play'. *Collection of machines was owned by Irish man Adrian Patterson and displayed at the Vintage Excavator Trust site at Threlkeld, Cumbria. **Cub Mk.1 - 1933 up to the last Mk.6 - 1969 **Wolf **Priestman VC 15 - 1984 machine s/n 4178 fitted with a Perkins A6.354 engine, and 10 roller tracks for riverbank works.CP&M V6 no.12 August 2008 (Machine was sold on in 2011 and has gone back to work). **Priestman 120 **Priestman Mustang 120 - 1979 (2 no.) *Priestman Beaver Mk I of 1965 (S/N A12202) @ Threlkeld, fitted with Lister HB4 *S.E. Davis & Son Ltd. have a Cub in their collection, at Astwood Bank Redditch. * Several are kept at Andrew Beaulahs farm near Hull, owned by several private collectors. These can be seen working at regular 'open days' and some feature in classic plant videos. Scale Models / Toys A number of toy manufactures have included Models of Priestman machines in there ranges going back to the early twentieth century. * Tri-ang built tinplate models from the 1930 of cranes and offered a Priestman Grab to go with the Jones KL44 crane model as optional extra. http://www.triang.nl/cranes.htm (photos) * add details of other models here please See also *List of Construction Plant Manufactures *Ruston (engine builder) *Ruston-Bucyrus *NCK *NCK Rapier *Ransomes & Rapier *Vintage Excavator Trust *Shows and Meets *Collections References *Classic Plant & Machinery Magazine *Web site on Coles (see below) External links *Site with some Info and photos * National Archives index of Priestman related material held * Priestman dredger wreck in Australia - built in 1889, sunk 1893 A 1880 Priestman Brothers Steam Excavator.jpg|A 1880s Priestman Brothers Steam Excavator A 1890 Priestman Brothers Floating Steam Excavator.jpg|A 1890s Priestman Brothers Floating Steam Excavator A 1890 Priestman Brothers Steam Dredger.jpg|A 1890s Priestman Brothers Steam Double Dredger A 1890 Priestman Brothers Steam Shovel.jpg|A 1890s Priestman Brothers Steamshovel A 1890 Priestman Brothers Steam Dockcrane.jpg|A 1890s Priestman Brothers Steam Dockside Crane Restored A 1950s Priestman Brothers Steam Excavator.jpg|A 1900 Priestman Brothers Steam Excavator on a riverbarge A 1900 Priestman Brothers Steam Railway Excavator.jpg|A 1900 Priestman Brothers Railway Steam Excavator A 1930s Priestman Brothers Crawler Excavator.jpg|A 1930s Priestman Brothers Crawler Excavator with lorry petrol engine A 1950s Priestman Brothers Caribou Dragline.JPG|A 1940s Priestman Brothers Caribou Dragline A 1940s Priestman Brothers Cub Dragline.jpg|A 1940s Priestman Brothers Cub Dragline Excavator A 1940s Priestman Brothers Panther Dragline.jpg|A 1940s Priestman Brothers Panther Dragline Excavator A 1940s Priestman Brothers Tiger Dragline.JPG|A 1940s Priestman Brothers Tiger Clamshell Excavator 1950s priestman dragline.jpg|A 1950s Priestman Dragline on a classic machinery show A 1950s Priestman Brothers Caribou Diesel Cranetruck.jpg|A 1950s Priestman Caribou Crane Diesel on a Foden carrier A 1950s Priestman Brothers Cub Excavator Diesel.JPG|A 1950s Priestman Beaver Excavator Diesel A 1950s Priestman Brothers Cub Crawler Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1950s Priestman Cub Crawler Excavator Diesel A 1950s Priestman Brothers Panther Dragline.jpg|A 1950s Priestman Panther Dragline Diesel A 1950s Priestman Brothers Tiger Digger Diesel.jpg|A 1950s Priestman Tiger Excavator Diesel A 1950s Priestman Brothers Wolf Shovel.jpg|A 1950s Priestman Wolf Excavator Diesel A 1960s Priestman Brothers Digger Diesel.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Beaver Digger Diesel A 1960s Priestman Brothers Caribou on Leyland Cranetruck.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Caribou Crane on a Leyland truck A 1960s Priestman Brothers Crawler Excavator.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Cub Crawler Excavator Diesel 1960s priestman cub dragline.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Cub Dragline A 1960s Priestman Brothers Cub Dragline Diesel.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Cub Dragline Diesel A 1960s Priestman Brothers Foden Cranetruck Diesel.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Lion Crane on Foden Cranecarrier A 1960s Priestman Lion on Foden Diesel carrier.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Lion Cranetruck on Foden cranecarrier A 1960s Priestman Brothers Lion Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Lion Crawler Excavator Diesel A 1960s Priestman Brothers Lion and Foden Dumptruck.JPG|A 1960s Priestman Lion Dragline with a Foden Dumptruck A 1960s Priestman Brothers Lion Piledriver Diesel.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Lion Piledriver Diesel A 1960s Priestman Brothers Panther Dragline.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Panther Dragline Diesel in a quarry A 1960s Priestman Brothers Wolf Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1960s Priestman Wolf Digger Diesel Priestman Crawlercrane.jpg|A 1970s Priestman LC-51 Crawlercrane Diesel A 1970s Priestman Brothers Bison Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Bison Clamshell Excavator Diesel Priestman Caribou Excavator.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Caribou Clamshell Excavator on a Leyland lorry A 1970s Priestman Brothers Caribou Excavator.JPG|A 1970s Priestman Caribou Excavator Diesel A 1970s Priestman Brothers Cub Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Cub Digger Diesel working in mines A 1970s Priestman Brothers Cub Dragline Diesel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Cub Dragline Diesel Priestman Hydrocub Excavator.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Hydrocub Crawler Excavator priestman mc250 excavator.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Lion MC250 Excavator Diesel A 1970s Priestman Brothers Lion Cranetruck on Foden carrier.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Lion MH200 Cranetruck on a Foden FC Lorry A 1970s Priestman Brothers Lion Cranetruck on Foden Carrier.png|A 1970s Priestman Lion MH250 Cranetruck on a Foden FC Truck A 1970s Priestman Brothers Lion Crawlercrane Diesel.JPG|A 1970s Priestman Lion Crawlercrane Diesel A 1970s Priestman Brothers Lion Dragline Diesel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Lion Dragline Diesel Priestman Mustang Swingshovel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Mustang Swingshovel Excavator A 1970s Priestman Brothers Mack Cranetruck Diesel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Otter Cranetruck on Mack USA Lorry Priestman Panther Excavator.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Panther Dragline Diesel A 1970s Priestman Brothers Sealion Crawlercrane.JPG|A 1970s Priestman Sealion Crawlercrane Diesel A 1970s Priestman Brothers Wolf Cranetruck on Mack Carrier.png|A 1970s Priestman Wolf Crane on a Mack GB Cranetruck A 1970s Priestman Brothers Wolf Excavator.jpg|A 1970s Priestman Wolf Crawler Excavator A 1970s Priestman Brothers VC15 Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1970s Priestman VC15 Crawler Excavator Diesel Priestman crawlercrane and cranetruck.jpg|A pair of 1980s Priestman Crawlercrane and Priestman Cranetruck at work Priestman Beaver Excavator.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Beaver Excavator Diesel Priestman Bison Crawlercrane.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Bison Crawlercrane Diesel Priestman Caribou cranetruck.JPG|A 1980s Priestman Caribou Crane Diesel on a Foden Cranecarrier Priestman Cub Excavator.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Cub Clamshell Excavator Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers Cub Excavator Diesel.JPG|A 1980s Priestman Cub Crawler Excavator Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers Cub Dragline Diesel.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Cub Clamshell Excavator Diesel Priestman lion mc Series crawlercranes.jpg|A pair of 1980s Priestman Lion Crawlercrane and Dragline models Priestman Coles Crawlercrane.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion Crawlercrane Diesel working at Albert Docks in Hull Priestman Lion Dragline.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion Crawlercrane Diesel Priestman Lion 50H Cranetruck.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion MH50 on a Foden FC Cranetruck Diesel Priestman MC250 Crawlercrane.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion MC250 Crawlercrane Diesel priestman lion dragline.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion Dragline Diesel working in a mine Priestman MC300 Excavator.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion MC300 Clamshell Excavators at work A 1980s Priestman Brothers Lion Grabcrane on Foden carrier.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion MH300 Clamshell Excavator on Foden FC Cranecarrier PRIESTMAN MC350 Cranetruck.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Lion MC350 Crane on Faun Cranecarrier A 1980s Priestman Minidigger Diesel.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Minidigger Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers Mustang 120 and Mustang 220 working.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Mustang 120 and Mustang 220 Excavators Priestman Mustang 150.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Mustang 150 Excavator Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers Mustang 220 Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1980s Priestman Mustang 220 Excavator with County-Steelfab tractor dumper Priestman Otter Excavator.JPG|A 1980s Priestman Otter Excavator Diesel Priestman Sealion Crane.JPG|A 1980s Priestman Sealion Pedestal Harbourcrane Priestman Wolf.JPG|A 1980s Priestman Wolf Excavator Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers VC15 Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1980s Priestman VC15 Crawler Excavator Diesel Priestman Lion crawlercrane.JPG|A 1990s Priestman Lion Crawlercrane Diesel Priestman Lion MC350 Crawlercrane.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Lion MH350 Crawlercrane Diesel Priestman Longreach VC20 Excavator.JPG|A 1990s Priestman Longreach VC20 Crawler Excavator Priestman MC400 Excavator.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Lion MC400 Clamshell Excavator Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers Lion MC400 MOL Cranetruck.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Lion MH400 Crane on MOL Cranetruck Diesel A 1980s Priestman Brothers Lion MOL Cranetruck.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Lion MH400 120T MOL Cranetruck Diesel Priestman Mustang 120 Excavator.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Mustang 120 Excavator Diesel priestman mustang 220.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Mustang 220 Excavator Diesel Priestman Tiger VXL Excavator.jpg|A 1990s Priestman Tiger VXL Excavator Diesel Priestman VC20 Excavator.jpg|A 1990s Priestman VC20 Crawler Excavator Diesel A 1990s Priestman Brothers RB VC15 Excavator Diesel.jpg|A 1990s Priestman RB VC20 Crawler Excavator Diesel A 1990s Priestman Brothers Mustang 220 Excavator.jpg|A 1990s Priestman VC20 Excavator Longreach Diesel A 1990s Priestman Brothers RB VC15 Longreach Excavator.jpg|A 2000s Priestman RB VC15 Excavator Longreach Diesel new generation of priestman vc20.jpg|A pair of 2000s Priestman RB VC20 and RB VC30 units from RB Cranes Limited A 1980s Priestman Brothers VC20 Excavator Longreach Diesel.jpg|A 2000s Priestman RB VC20 Longreach Excavator Diesel A 1990s Prietman Brothers RB VC20 Longreach Excavator.JPG|A 2010s Priestman BR VC- Series Model Range Category:Priestman Category:Companies of the United Kingdom Category:Defunct companies Category:Construction plant manufacturers Category:Crane manufacturers Category:Draglines Category:Excavator manufacturer Category:Face Shovels Category:Inventors Category:Sanderson Category:Steels Group Category:RB International Category:Crawler crane manufacturers Category:Steam crane manufacturers